Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1887-09-03
AWFULLY CONSCIENTIOUS.
How the american" Reporters of the
Leader" Resigned.

The reporters of the lively and spicy
organ of the organized workingmen of
New York, the Leader, having in all
probability better prospect Gn their
minds of Doodle on some capitalistic
papers, resigned most ostentatiously
when they heard how the workingmen
captured the paper from the "uorking-
mems friends" in the stockholders meet
ing last week. Henry Enrich, of the
Furniture Workers Union. was elected
president of the Leader Association.
John Swinton once said at labor meet
ing that Emrlch was one Of the clearest
thinkers and most lucid reasoners, as
well as good counselors, to be found in
the ranks of Organized Labor. The
highly "American" reporters were not
of the same mind, and could not think
of working for the representatives of
Organized Labor--because they thought
it too socialistic. The names of these
pure -blooded Americans are Foley,
Donohue, Dougherty. Cahil, Brommer,
etc They expressed themselves rs be
ing unable to conscientiously work for n
newspaper that opposes Americanism
Can it be that they have joined the
Know nothings? OF course their places
- ere Immediately filled, and the Leuder
came out bright as ever on Monday even
ing. Speaking of the queer episode the
Lcddcr says:
"Our esteemed contemporaries are de.
voting good deal of attention and com
ment to the fact that the city staff of the
Ledder resigned on Saturday.
However sincerely the editor of the
Leader may regret the necessity Of part
ing with number of able and intelli-
gent co-workers, he begs to state that
the designations in question will not even
for day interfere with the efficiency of
the Leatiers city service.
While unable to understand the pecul-
lar logic which induces those gentlemen
to invoke their dignity as American citi-
zens in leaving the only American labor
paper published in the English language
and devoted to the essentially American
principles Of organization and co opera
ton, the editor of the Leader welcomes
the spirit displayed by his former co
workers as a new departure in the ethics
OF newspaper men.
To see "A numbor of our knights of the
quill display such Spartan devotion to
principle" is something rs new as it is
surprising We fondly and sincerely
hope that the same noble spirit will be
displayed not only where, as in the case
Of the Lcader, it is actuated by prejudice
and imperfect understanding, but also in
such cases when honor and self-respect
ought to have suggested a similar course
long ago. We allude to our Doodle con
temporaries, whose editorial policy,
rigidly enforced requires the most abso-
lutte subordination of individual ideas
and convictions TO the business interests
Of the enterprise.
The city staff of the Star, for instance,
mainly consists of prominent members
of the former Henry George campaign
club, and they are now engaged in the
congenial task of daily heaping the vilest
abuse on the same Henry George and his
party. We confidently expect to see
these gentlemen walk out of the Star
office in body, duly invoking their dig
nifty as American citizens.
If this happens, then the former city
staff of the Leader may indeed feel proud
of their action, however mistaken its mo-
tives may be; they will have inaugurated
new era in American newspaper life,
the fundamental motive of which will be
principle, not space.
A reporter on the New York Sun said
that the Americans expected that
Henry George & Co. would start daily
campaign sheet.